Found only partial post cranial remains (not the skull). This included vertebrae, pectoral girdle, and forelimb elements

The specimen found was probably scavenged

Paralititan may have been prey for Bahriasaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, and possibly Spinosaurus (but only if they hunted in groups. Also, Spinosaurus may not have been able to hunt on land)

The skeleton found was preserved in tidal flat deposits with fossilized mangroves (a tidal ecosystem, and tropical)

One of the largest dinosaurs (up there with Dreadnoughtus, Turiasaurus, Argentinosaurus)

One science journalist said in 2001 it “appears to have been the second largest known creature to ever walk on Earth.”

It has a 5.5 ft (1.7 m) long humerus

Not much is known about Paralititan, but it’s thought to have weighed about 59 tons or 65 short tons, and 85 ft (26 m) long

May have had osteoderms, used for defense

The Bahariya Formation was sometimes under water for long periods when global sea levels rose, then reappeared when sea levels dropped

Paralititan helps show that Africa and South America may have been part of the same land mass in the Late Cretaceous. Groups of animals have been found common to South America and Madagascar from the time, but not so much in Africa, possibly because there has not been much research done there

Also lived around the same time and place as Aegyptosaurus, another sauropod

Fun Fact:

We’re actually pretty confident in our estimates of dinosaur eyes despite no eyes fossilizing
Sclerotic rings fossilize. Sclerotic rings are a series of bones that make a ring around the iris in the front of the eye. Lots of vertebrates have them including pterosaurs, ichthyosaurs, & dinosaurs, but not mammals or crocodiles. Often see them mounted with dinosaur fossils where the eye would be. They often don’t preserve since they are small and fragile, and individually are pretty easy to miss.

The Alarming Lizard

Tarbosaurus bataar, whose name means “Alarming Lizard,” was a tyrannosaur first discovered in 1946 and named by Evgeny Maleev in 1955. Tarbosaurus lived in the Cretaceous, around 70 million years ago. Tarbosaurus fossils have been found in Mongolia and China. Here are five quick facts about Tarbosaurus bataar:

Tarbosaurus Fact #1: Tarbosaurus had the smallest forearms of all tyrannosaurs. Tarbosaurus weighed up to 5 tons and was 33-39 feet long, so it’s small arms may have helped it maintain balance.

TarbosaurusFact #2: Tarbosaurus is older than T-rex, which suggests that tyrannosaurs originated in Asia and migrated to North America via a land bridge that connected the two continents.

TarbosaurusFact #3:Tarbosaurus was the apex predator of its habitat, and it may have hunted and/or scavenged. Dr. Philip Currie has hypothesized that Tarbosaurus may have hunted in packs. Six Tarbosaurus skeletons were found in a bonebed in Mongolia, which may mean they lived together.

TarbosaurusFact #4: Tarbosaurus‘ name “bataar” is a mispelling of the Mongolian word “baatar,” which means “hero.”

TarbosaurusFact #5: Tarbosaurus is very closely related to T-rex, but there are some key differences.Tarbosaurus had a longer skull and had about 60 teeth (which is more teeth than T-rex. And though Tarbosaurus was big, it had a lightweight skeleton. Still, Tarbosaurus is the second biggest tyrannosaur, after T-rex.